Seal.



J. A. HALLSI'ED.

SEAL. l APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

LQST, Ptented May "2,1912,

l'z'gl.

JOHNKA. HALLSTED; OIF GINCNNAT, GHQ.

SEAL.

meeste.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented llday 1912.

Application filed .Tune 22, 1910. Serial No. 568,395.

To all whom it 'may concern Be it known that I, J oHNr A. HALLsrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county o Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvement in Seals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to seals such as are ordinarily used for the purpose of locking freight cai' doors, although it is adapted t0 lock any other kind of a door or a hinged cover; and the object of the same is to con struct an extremely simple seal of a single piece of metal such as tin, having a head of such form that the eye end of the tongue may be inserted into said head and automatically engaged by the vfinger thereof without the use of any tool, and the whole being of such construction that it can not be tampered with without disclosing that fact; This object I accomplish by the construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which this seal is made before its parts are bent, the dotted lines indicating where the bends are made. Fig. 2 .is a similar plan yview of the head end of the blank after the lirst bend or fold has been made. Fig. 3 is 'an end elevation of the head end of the blank after the second fold has been made,

showing in dotted lines h owA the' third and iinishing fold is to be made. Fig. /l is a perspective view showing the head after the final fold has been made. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section showing the tongue eneontinuethe edges of the stem 10. panel also4 may be provided with another gaged with the finger. l

In the drawings the blank ot' this seal is shown as made from a single piece of light flexible metal, such as t-in, and comprising a head and a stem. The head 1 is approximate-ly rectangular in shape and is divided into three principal panels by the lines a and Z) which extend longitudinally of the head and on about the lines whlch would One line c producing another or subsidiary. panel, which. constitutes the flange as hereinafter referred to. The wing 3 has its edge out so as to produce a finger 4 which projects away seen in Fig. 1. The central panel ot' the head 1 is formed with an oblong depression 2. The panel or wing 5 which is a little wider than the wing I3 is from the stem l() as bounded in the drawings bythe lines b and c. Finally that portion of the panel 5 which is beyond the line c forms a iiange T as shown.

rlhe stem 1() extends straight from and is integral with the central panel of the head 1, as shown in Fig. 2 and about the center of its length is suitably weakened7 such as by the presence of an opening 14. At its free end the stem is reduced into a tongue 11, -forming shoulders 12 between said tongue and the body of the stem itself, and through this tongue near its extremity is formed an eye 18 which may be and by preference, is substantially rectangular asr shown, and must be of a width greater than that of the finger 4.

The manner of folding up this seal is best illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and f1. Assuming that the 'depression 2 is formed in the head 1the first fold is along the line a, whereby, the wing 3 is brought over upon the head and the linger 4: caused to descend a little into the depression as by pressing it therein by the -hand of the operator at the time the told is made. The second told is along the line b whereby, the wing 5 is caused to overlie the upper wing 3 best seen in full lines in Fig. 3. The next fold is along the .line c, whereby, the flange 7 is folded onto the back or 'outer face ot' the central panel; the outer ends of the folded portions are now squeezed together and thus a box is formed which opens at its inner end. YWhen the seal so folded is to be used, vthe tongue 11 is passed through the hasp or the padlock or whatever else is to be locked and bent over, the opening 11i .weakening the body of the stem lO so to permit this bending. Finally the outer end of the tongue 11 is inserted into the open end of the 'box and is caused to slide i1 under the depressed tinger Il; which rises suthciently to permit its passage. lWhen the tip ot the tongue passes the under depression Q the tip of the finger Il springs downward through the eye Thereafter it will be impossible to open it unless the panels are unfolded and to do this would invariably cause the head to break along the lines a, Z) and c.

Thus it will be seen that l lia-vcl produced a seal which is extremely cheap to make and to fold, and is extremely easy to lock into place.

l am aware that it is not new broadly te 13 and the seal is locked.

ies

provide :L box-shaped head with a finger' adapted to engage an eye in a tongue formed at the other end of the stem, out it will be soon from the above description that I have invented certain detais of structure which make the box simpler to form and easier to fold, und render if; more dcult to tamper with than heretofore'.

Vhn; claimed as new is:

In :L seal, the combination with a stem reduced and shouldered at one ond to forma tongue, and an eye through said tongue; of

ay boi shapo-bead closed mi one om? -st-em and having a depression, a Wing lying next over this panel und having n .finger del Heated lnto sald depresslon, and n. wmg lying over and fornnng a cover for 52nd. first,-

mnned Wing.

J. A. HAELSTED. Witnesses z HAROLD E. HARRIS, 

